AI & Ethics Literacy in Secondary School: A Pilot Study

This paper presents the findings of a pilot study on AI & Ethics Literacy conducted in Italian secondary schools during the academic years 2023–2025. The project sought to investigate whether specific training on AI ethics is needed alongside technical AI education. The study involved 193 students from technical institutes and high schools in southern Italy. The intervention, lasting eight hours per class, was based on a dialogical Philosophical Enquiry (PhiE) methodology, fostering critical thinking, cooperative dialogue, and ethical awareness. Data were collected through entry and exit questionnaires and a content knowledge test. Results demonstrate significant improvements in students’ ethical awareness, knowledge of AI concepts, and recognition of algorithmic biases. Higher engagement and receptivity were observed particularly among third-year technical students and first-year high school students. These findings underscore the importance of integrating AI ethics into the curriculum (e.g. within civic education) as a way to prepare students for an AI-driven society in a critically informed manner.